Human Remains

Authorities hope pictures of a ring may help solve the mystery of a man’s identity. A 10-carat gold ring with a large red stone was found with human remains near Albert Lea on Monday. It was described as resembling a class ring.

Investigators are trying to identify human remains found off the shoulder of Interstate 90 in southern Minnesota. A landowner in Freeborn County called 911 Monday to report the discovery. The remains were found near a fence along the south side of I-90 near Highway 13.

Human remains found in western South Dakota’s Lawrence County last week have been identified as those of a man whose disappearance 14 years ago prompted searches in three states. The remains are those of David F. Johnson, a retired dentist from Buffalo, Wyoming, who was reported missing on June 5, 2000, according to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department.

Officials in Pine County say they are investigating after human remains were found at a construction site. The county sheriff’s office said the remains, which appear to be decades old, were found Monday morning on the 15000 block of Sunset Trail near Pine City.

A Springfield, Minn. man was arrested in connection with the Sleepy Eye car accident that led to the discovery of human remains last month. Twenty-six year old Miguel Angel Vazquez, of Springfield, Minn., was arrested on charges of second degree murder.

Authorities said they found partial human remains in McLeod County on Wednesday afternoon. At about 12:30 p.m. that day, the sheriff’s office responded to a suspicious item that was found in a park near County Road 7 near Hutchinson, Minn.

Wisconsin police have arrested a 52-year-old man almost three weeks after human remains were found in suitcases, and investigators identified one victim as a missing Minnesota woman. Town of Geneva police Chief Steven Hurley said in a statement the man was arrested Wednesday. The news release didn’t elaborate on the man’s suspected role.

Police say two suitcases containing the remains of two people have been found in long grass near a road in southeastern Wisconsin. Highway workers came across the suitcases Thursday as they mowed the grass in Town of Geneva, about 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee, and moved them to the roadside, said town Police Chief Steven Hurley.

Human remains were found in a Stearns County park on Saturday afternoon. According to authorities, the remains were found in a shallow grave by a hiker shortly after 1 p.m. at Mississippi County Park. The identity and gender of the remains are unclear. The Stearns County Sheriff’s office is working with Eden Prairie Police and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to determine if the remains are those of 24-year-old Mandy Matula, who went missing back in May.

Authorities say a skull found on a Skunk River sandbar in Ames was that of a woman of American Indian ancestry who died more than 200 years ago. Experts say the woman likely was 25 to 40 years old when she died.

Authorities in Colorado have made an arrest in the murder of 51-year woman with Minnesota ties. According to the Wheat Ridge Police Department, 54-year-old Melissa Miller was arrested Monday for the murder of Leann Meyer, whose remains were found near a cabin in Park County, Colo. on July 4. Miller is being held without bond at the Park County Detention Facility. Meyer had family in St. Peter, Minn.

Human remains have been found along the Eau Claire, Wis. river, according to authorities. Eau Claire deputies were notified that kayakers found a bone, which appeared to be a human bone, along the Eau Claire River, west of Big Falls around 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Authorities in Colorado are investigating the possible connection between the discovery of human remains and the disappearance of a Colorado woman with Minnesota ties. According to the Park County Sheriff’s office in Colorado, authorities were contacted on the evening of July 4 by people who had found human remains by their cabin. Wheat Ridge Police became involved in the investigation on Monday to help Park County officials determine if there’s any connection between the remains and missing Wheat Ridge resident Leann Meyer.